Board of Directors - 2009/10
President
Di Bracken
Di Bracken underwent Ileostomy surgery in 1980 and joined the Hamilton & District UOA chapter. In 1982 she founded the Halton - Peel chapter and served as its first president. She established the chapter’s visitation service and its newsletter serving as its editor for many years.
From 1989 to 1993, Di served as Provincial representative for UOA Inc. and in 1991 was elected to the Board of Directors. She assumed the chair of the Membership Committee and became a member of the Annual Conference Planning committee of UOA Inc. in 1993 serving until 1998.
Having lived and worked on three continents (teaching in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Canada), it was natural for Di to be interested in the international scene and she became very active in FOW Canada working very closely with the late Maria Siegl in organizing many shipments of ostomy supplies to developing countries.
When the United Ostomy Association of Canada became incorporated in 1992, Di became the secretary, a position that she held until 1995. She was elected as the Vice President of UOAC in 1996 and assumed the presidency of the organization following the untimely death of Maria Siegl. Di was elected president for a two-year term in 1998.
On completing her term as Past President of UOAC, Di made the decision to do what she could to help ostomates in developing countries and in 2000 she was elected as the Vice President of IOA and was also appointed secretary to IOA. In 2004 Di ran unopposed as the president of IOA and now is the immediate past president.
Vice President
Lorne Aronson
Lorne Aronson had his surgery in 1988 for Ulcerative Colitis. The operation included the removal of his gall bladder as well as the creation of an Ileostomy.
Lorne became involved with Ostomy Toronto six months after his surgery. He served as a director and later served 10 years as President. During that time, Lorne became involved at the national level with UOA becoming a director in 1997. Lorne was involved with the successful implementation of Canada's decision to become an independent National Association. He became the Chair of District Support Services. He later went on to become Vice President of the United Ostomy Association of Canada and in 2002 assumed the responsibilities of President. Lorne continues to serve the Ostomy Toronto Chapter as a director and immediate Past President. Lorne is married and his wife Louise is a member of Ostomy Toronto as well, serving as a member of the Spouses and Significant Others Committee. Lorne continues to help in areas of fundraising and policy.
Treasurer
Ranjit Hira
Ranjit was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1987. The disease was kept under control until 1992 when an emergency total colectomy was performed. This was followed by two surgeries to fix a hernia and clear a blockage. Since then he has led a very fulfilling life style. He enjoys playing golf, bridge and walking. After living and working in Sudbury for 36 years Ranjit and his wife Malkeet moved to Brampton in 2003, to enjoy their retirement and be closer to their family.
Ranjit was involved with Ostomy Sudbury as a Secretary until 2003. He joined Ostomy Toronto in 2004 and became a Director in 2005. Ranjit is easing slowly into the Chapter's fund raising activities and hopes to be assist in other areas as he gets more comfortable with the workings of the Chapter.
Directors
Visiting Coordinator
Di Bracken
Bulletin Editor & Membership Coordinator
Lorne Aronson
Director - Social Convener
Muriel Kinnear
Muriel had colostomy surgery for cancer in 1980. Soon afterwards she joined Ostomy Toronto. A few years after joining, she adopted the position of Social Convenor, a position which she holds to this day. She decided to undertake the Visitor Training Program and is quite an active visitor. She volunteers at the Resource Centre every Friday, mails out our monthly newsletter and helps out at the occasional Ostomy Toronto bingo session. She, uncategorically, makes the best shortbread in Toronto and thankfully brings some along to our monthly meetings!
Director - Programs & Events
Robert Wychers
Robert Wychers first experienced Ulcerative Colitis at the age of twenty when he was a student at the University of Guelph in 1970. He suffered an attack every five years until 1990. While he was in remission, he enjoyed life and planned for the future without giving his disease any thought. However, between 1990 and 1994, his health deteriorated progressively as his UC expanded further in the colon.
After gathering enough courage to contact a surgeon, a colonoscopy confirmed that the disease had spread throughout the entire colon. They set a date for an Ileostomy and total proctocolectomy which took place in July of 1994. Robert has enjoyed every year since his surgery and regards it as a blessing! About a year after his surgery, he became a Director with Ostomy Toronto. He has been the Program Director for several years and thoroughly enjoys this position.
Director
Maria Jose Bouey
Director
Dolce Campbell
Director
Paula Nixon
After suffering from Crohn's disease for 7 years, Paula had her Ileostomy surgery at the age of 23. Paula subsequently had two revisions of the Ileostomy due to Crohn's recurrences, the last being at Christmas of 1999. Paula has not had any more Crohn's-related illness since then nor any "official" blockages (at least those requiring hospitalization). Over the years Paula has had different roles with Ostomy Toronto ranging from Director to Secretary to Treasurer.
After taking a few years off from the Board of Directors to get married and buy a house plans are now underway to raise a family. There are complications due to probable scar tissue associated with long-standing Crohn's and my previous surgeries. "I'm not surprised by this but I don't regret having the Ileostomy as I truly believe it saved my life. I can do 100% more than what I could while sick and I am thankful everyday for what my Ileostomy has given me, not upset by what it took away."
Director - Resource Centre Coordinator
Carol Rodda
Carol Rodda was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1984. After years of in and out of the hospital, she was told in 1993 that she would have to have ostomy surgery. She was devastated; she remembers her gastroenterologist had assured her that he would try everything possible to avoid ostomy surgery. She was given the phone number for Ostomy Toronto and that night an ostomy visitor called her. She remembers they must have talked for an hour. After getting off the phone she felt a little more comfortable with the idea of going through with the surgery. A couple of days before her surgery she went to an ostomy visitor's home.
For Carol--that was the best thing that could have happened to prepare her for the surgery. As Carol mentions, she saw a living, breathing person that had an Ileostomy yet even when wearing tight pants Carol couldn't tell she had an ostomy pouch. Although she had a few remaining reservations, she was confident going into the surgery. A month later she attended her first ostomy meeting. Everyone was so welcoming. Needless to say Carol kept attending meetings and in the spring of 1994 she joined the Board of Directors for Ostomy Toronto. In the spring of 1999 Ostomy Toronto and UOAC opened the Ostomy Resource Centre at Mt. Sinai Hospital; Carol immediately volunteered as a visitor. She enjoyed talking with the patients who just had their ostomy surgery.
In the spring of 2000 Carol Rodda was appointed the Coordinator of the Ostomy Resource Centre—a position that she continues to hold. A lot of things of changed since OT's ORC opened in…it is now located at 344 Bloor St. W.
Enterostomal Therapist Advisor
Dianne Garde
After being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and having surgery for an Ileostomy in December, 1959, Dianne Garde joined the local ostomy association and became involved with the visiting program. As she visited new ostomy patients in the hospital she soon realized that ostomy patients were not being given adequate care and advise. The nurses she met were not trained in managing an ostomy or assessing what ostomy appliances should be used. Through the United Ostomy Association (UOA), she heard about Norma Gill at the Cleveland Clinic. Dianne Garde spoke to a gastroenterologist at Toronto General Hospital and asked if he felt that there were enough ostomy patients to warrant this kind of position. Arrangements were made that she would take her Enterostomal Therapist (ET) training at the Cleveland Clinic in 1969. She returned to Toronto and began working as an ET at the Toronto General Hospital (TGH). She was the third ET in Canada (the first two being in Montreal).
She worked at TGH until 1992 when she lost her position due to a new policy…an ET had to also be a nurse. From 1969 to 1992 she saw over 10,000 ostomy patients. She has had four articles published and edited a chapter in the book The Intelligent Patient, and has spoken and organized numerous educational sessions over the years. She still sees some ostomy patients in the community and attends both Ostomy Toronto's two monthly meetings as well as another local chapter's meeting.
Dianne Garde has received the following awards:
Medical Advisor
R. Gary Sibbald, MD, FRCPC(Med)(Derm), ABIM,DABD
Associate Professor and Director of Continuing Education
Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Phone: (416) 978-4499; Fax: (416) 978-4568
Director, Dermatology Daycare and Wound Healing Clinic
Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre
Medical Advisor
Marcus J. Burnstein, MD, MSc, FRCSC,
Dr. Burnstein trained in general surgery at the University of Toronto and in colorectal surgery at the University of Toronto and at the Lahey Clinic Medical Centre in Boston.
Dr. Burnstein is the Program Director for the University of Toronto Residency Training Program in Colorectal Surgery, Chairman of the Royal College Specialty Committee for Colorectal Surgery, and Vice President of the Canadian Society of Colorectal Surgeons. Dr. Burnstein is an associate examiner for the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, and is an associate editor of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. He is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and practices at St. Michael's Hospital.